Electric heater and vaporizer



July 15, 1930.

I. E. ASKE ELECTRIC HEATER AND VAPORIZER Filed April 5, 1927 1 n b'tm/MM/ INVENTOR 7% ATTORNEY Patented July 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE IRVING E. ASKE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA ELECTBIC HEATER AND VAPORIZEB Application filed April 5,

My invention relates to electric heaters and Vaporizers and has for its object the provision of an improved heater suitable for use to convert cold hydrocarbon fuel into hot Vapor or fumes for combustion or explosion in the cylinder or cylinders of an internal explosion engine.

I am aware of the disclosure in the prior art of certain Vaporizers embodying some of is the features alsoemployed in connection with my invention, particularly the disclosures in the United States Patent Number 1,616,247, dated Feb. 1, 1927, granted to Leonard E. Aske for electric heaters or vaporizers. It has, however, been found inexpedient to connect said prior devices to the circuit ofthe starting motor, for the reason that when so connected such prior devices require too much current for economical or practicable use, or the fumes created by them concurrently with the starting of the motor are too lean to promptly start the engine. It has therefore been customary to include said prior vaporizers in a separate circuit governed by a switch on the dash, or instrument board, and to energize such Vaporizers for a period of from five to ten seconds in order to let the fumes build up to efiicient volume and temperature before starting the motor. If, however, an efficient vaporizer adapted to be operated economically on a small current at a low voltage can be connected to the starting motor circuit Without material detriment to either motor or vaporizer, the expense and annoyance of the separate dash switch, the excess cost of cables and other materials and labor due to separate installation, and much if not all of the delay in starting can be avoided. The problem has been to build a vaporizer that will be extremely rapid in action and that will not burn out when the voltage increases as the engine gains speed. To accomplish this it is necessary that the vaporizer shall I have a very high thermal'efiiciency and one 45 that will not require a large amount of current to heat it.

This has been accomplished by my invention which, when connected to the motor circuit, has been successful in providing suffi- 50 cient hot fuel vapor or fumes to start the en- 1927. Serial No. 181,119.

gine promptly in temperatures down to 15 de-v grees below zero Fahrenheit, and where the starting motor cranked the engine at only 22 R. P. M., due to stiffness of the engine. When the starting motor was applied it was found that the voltage dropped instantly from (i to 2.8 volts; at which time the consumption of current by the vaporizer or heater was so low that'there was no appreciable reduction of the cranking speed or of the ignition voltage. At this voltage fumes were generated by the vaporizer in such volume and at such temperature that the engine started firing quite evenly after about four revolutions. As the engine gained in its cranking speed, due to the force of its fuel explosions, the voltage in the vaporizer increased from 2.8 to 5 volts, and at this point the bendix in the starting motor disengaged and the engine continued to run on its own fuel power. It has been estimated that a saving of 60 per car can be saved to the car manufacturer in installation costs by eliminating the separate vaporizer circuit and connecting the vaporizer in parallel to motor circuit.

My invention consists of the structures, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, is a central vertical section of a vaporizer embodying my said invention. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section on the line AB of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a central vertical section at right angles to the section of Fig. 1, showing the hereinafter. described pads in elevation. Fig. 4, is a side elevation 35 of the hereinafter described head or plug. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the hereinafter described heat insulating sleeve, forming part of said invention, and showing in central vertical section a tubular protective sheath encircling the same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a gasket. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a central absorbent pad forming part of said vaporizer. Fig. 8 is a front view of said pad. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of an outer pad forming part of said vaporizer, and Fig. 10 is a front view of said outer pad. Fig. 11, is a top end view of a heat insulating sleeve or jacket forming an important feature of my invention.

on and adapted to communicate therewith in.

any suitable manner known to the art, as in manner similar to the establishment of the housing 12 with respect to the intake tube 13, disclosed by said Patent No. 1,616,247.

Said head is aperturedfor the passage.

therethrough of an electric binding post 3, which is insulated from said head in any suitable manner or by any suitable means, as by washers or collars of insulating material interposed between said post and head, as at 4, l and l Electrically connected at one end to said post are one or more heating elements of any suitable structure, as the resistance wires 5 and 6, the opposite ends of which are electrically grounded in any suitable manner or by any suitable means, as by tubular grounding pins 7 tightly seated in recesses in said head and pinched tightly around said opposite ends of said wires. Said wires are substantially parallel to each other (if more than one is employed), and each of them extends between two closely positioned parallel cheek pads of noncombustible electric insulating liquid absorbing pads as 8, 9, 10 of any suitable material, as felted asbestos. In'the event of the'use of a plural number of said resistance wires, there need be only one pad between any two of them; but in such case the parti tioning pad is preferably thicker. If the vaporizer is cylindrical, the partitioning, pad may be wider than the outer pads.

I Mounted upon said head, is a heat insulat ng sleeve 1% of any suitable non-combustible insulating material, as porcelain or mica, which closely encircles said wires and pads. and constitutes a material step forward in the art and a highly important and principal novel feature of my invention, making the connection of the vaporizer to the motor circuit practicable, serviceable and economical. Said sleeve is designed to prevent or reduce the radiation of the electric heat to the body of liquid fuel in said reservoir, and to conserve the heat within the pads and space within said sleeve so that it will act rapidly and efficiently to vaporize or convert into fumes the fuel that is absorbed by said pads and brought slowly into contact with the heating wires thereby. Said sleeve has a notch ll formed in one end for the passage or reception of the free ends of said grounding pins and the grounded ends of said wires, and to permit the end of said sleeve to contact with said head at opposite sides of said pins or grounded ends of said wires. Said sleeve also has passages 14*, 14 formed therein intermediate of its ends for the passage of fuel from said reservoir to said outer pads. Preferably, the interior face of said sleeve is flattened on the two sides opposing the sides of said pads, and a vertically directed groove 13 is preferably formed in said flattened face opposite to the central one of said pads, in which groove liquid fuel may flow along and be absorbed by the side or edge of said central pad. Said central pad may also be transversely apertured intermediate of its ends as at 11 and 12, to facilitate the flow of fluid to the heating element. On the other hand it is preferable not to form such passages in the outer pads, since the flow of fuel to the heating wires then becomes so rapid as to be excessive and to tend to check the vaporizing or fuming speed of the vaporizer and to delay the starting of the engine. The flattening of two sides of the inner face of said sleeve also facilitates the use of pads of substantially equal width.

Closely encircling said sleeve and extending at one end beyond said sleeve, is a protective sheath 15 of any suitable material, as brass, spaced from the side walls of the body portion of said reservoir. Said sheath has transversely directed apertures 15" 15 formed therein for the passage of fuel from said reservoir and adapted to register with the fuel passages 14 and 14, respectively in said sleeve. Said sheath is open at its free end and a screen 16 of any suitable non-- combustible material, as perforated porcelain, is inserted in said end to prevent the escape of particles of insulation or other foreign bodies from or into said vaporizer and to retard the escape of heat.

It will further be observed that said wires intermediate of their ends and said pads and sleeve and sheath extend av short distance out of said reservoir whereby the flooding, or overflow of said heating wires by liquid in said reservoir and the consequent boiling oi. the fuel without eflicient evaporation is prevented.

In operation, the fuel may be introduced into said reservoir in any suitable and convenient manner, as by dropping into the ea in from the carbureter when the choke valve is closed and the engine is cranked. Such fuel then passes through the passages in said sheath and sleeve and is absorbed by said pads and slowly conducted by them into contact with, or vaporizing distance from said wires, which wires also form guides or leads to the free or exhaust end of said vaporizerand, being energized, keep the vapor or fumes hot preventing re-condensation to the point of delivery at said screen.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The combination of a head member, an electric binding post extending through said member and insulated therefrom, an

lUS

electric resistance heating wire electrically connected to said post and to ground, liquid absorbing means in contact with the major portion of said Wire intermediate of its ends, a heat insulating sleeve encircling the major portion of said wire and absorbing means, said heat insulating sleeve having a passage extending transversely therethrough, and a protective sheath encircling said sleeve, said sheathvhaving a passage extending transversely therethrough and adapted to communicate with the passage through said sleeve.

2. The combination of a head member, an electric binding post extending through said member and insulated therefrom, an electric resistance heating wire electrically connected to said post and to ground, liquid absorbing means in contact with the major portion of said wire intermediate of its ends, a non-absorbing heat insulating sleeve encircling the major portion of said wire and absorbing means, said insulating member having a transversely directed passage extending therethrough for the flow of liquid to said absorbing means, and a protective sheath encircling the major portion of said sleeve.

3. The combination of a head member, an electric binding post extending through said member and insulated therefrom, an electric resistance heating wire electrically connected at one end to said post and at its opposite end grounded upon said head, and a non-absorbing heat insulating sleeve mounted upon said head and inclosing the major portion of said wire intermediate of its ends, said sleeve having a transversely directed passage extending therethrough intermediate of'its ends, said sleeve having a notch formed in one of its ends adapted to straddle said wire at the point of its grounded connection to said head.

4. The combination of a head, an electric resistance element mounted on said head, an

elongated liquid absorbing member in contact with the major ortion of said resistance, an elongated nona sorbing heat insulating sleeve member encircling the major portion of said resistance and absorbing member, one of said members having a longitudinally directed groove formed therein opposite the other of said members.

5. The combination with a liquid receiver, of an electric resistance member within said receiver, a heat insulating and imprisoning sleeve within said container and surrounding said resistance member and partly spaced from said receiver, and liquid absorbing means between said sleeve and said resistance member.

6. The combination of a head member, an electric resistance member mounted on said head, liquid absorbing means in contact with the major portion of said resistance memsignature.

IRVING E. ASKE. 

